Sunday's 4:15 p.m. game at Gillette Stadium is a big one for the home side. With the San Diego Chargers coming to town to face Tom Brady and the Patriots, the predictable "potential AFC Championship Game" angle is a repetitive inevitability.

So when asked about the importance of a boisterous crowd today, Patriots QB Tom Brady said, "Yeah, start drinking early. Get nice and rowdy. It's a 4:15 game, they'll have a lot of time to get lubed up, come out here and cheer for the home team."

Though smirking, he said what he meant and meant what he said. But the team felt the need to sanitize those intentions with a comment of its own via spokeswoman Stacey James shortly thereafter. To wit:

The Patriots later clarified the "drinking early" remark on behalf of Brady, telling the assembled media, "He meant 'stay hydrated, drink a lot of water. Be loud, drink responsibly.'"

Yes, proper hydration is the key to rowdy support, particularly when the expected high is 66°F.